Stylebook says...
This is where the punctuation goes at the end of a quote.
What is inside the quotation marks?
This is what we call a lead that starts with a personal story, rather than the 5Ws and H.
What is an anecdotal lead?
This journalistic practice involves crediting the source of information for every fact.
What is attribution?
In PR, we almost always use this type of lead for a press release.
What is a summary lead?
This is the term we use for descriptive writing in journalism.
What is color?
In 2020, after widespread protests following the killing of George Floyd, the AP decided to start capitalizing this term.
What is Black?
This type of headline over-promises and under-delivers, often misleading or tricking the reader.
What is clickbait?
This step in the editorial process ensures that grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style are consistent and correct before publication.
What is copyediting?
A good press release should be no longer than this length.
What is one page?
In the movie Spotlight, reporter Sacha Pfeiffer employs this important journalism technique to get a priest to admit to molesting children.
What is door-knocking?
In AP style, these abbreviations for Rhode Island and Massachusetts are used in the dateline, but not in the body of the article.
What is R.I. and Mass.?
This term refers to specialized language used by a particular profession or group that can be confusing to your readers and should be avoided.
What is jargon?
This is the term used when journalists go outside and interview strangers for a story.
What is man-on-the-street?
A media advisory should specifically list these two major Ws.
What is “where” and “when”?
What is the Access to Public Records Act, or APRA?
The Associated Press says headlines should be no longer than this length.
What is 100 characters?
This type of writing focuses on storytelling, often blending narrative techniques with factual reporting, exploring topics in greater depth.
What is feature writing?
In this grammatical construction that we use in journalism and PR, the subject carries out the action, as in: “The journalist wrote the article.”
What is active voice?
A story pitch has this key distinction from a press release.
What is a more targeted, personalized audience?
Descriptive writing should paint a picture without using too many of these.
What are adjectives?
In AP style, this is how you would write the date for something that happened on the fifth day of January.
What is Jan. 5?
This is what is written in the dateline of a news story.
What is the city/town and state?
In podcasting and broadcasting, this is what the audio of ambient noise in your environment is called, such as traffic sounds or cameras clicking.
What is natural sound?
This is one of the two most common ways to end a press release.
What is -30- or ###?
In a front-page feature story discussed by guest speaker Brian Amaral, 101-year-old Ethel Rubinstein was doing this.
What is getting her COVID vaccine?